Pier 25 provides a small "town dock", a snack bar and a sand area for beach volleyball. A miniature golf course is open from May to October. The "Yankee," the last surviving Ellis Island ferry, is docked here.
Pier 26 is the home of the Downtown Boathouse (www.downtownboathouse.org ), where members can store small craft like canoes and kayaks, and the public can borrow them or launch their own boats for free. The River Project (www.riverproject.org), an ecological education and research center, is also located at Pier 26.
The view from Battery Park on Piers 25 and 26.
Pier 32 is a deteriorated pier, now severed from the shoreline. Birds and other wildlife are now claiming it as their own.
Pier 34 contains two "finger" piers that link to the Holland Tunnel Vent Shaft. The southern finger is open to the public for strolling, sitting, blading or fishing. The northern finger is reserved as access for maintenance for the vent shaft.
The view on the vent shaft of the Holland Tunnel on northern finger of Pier 34 from the Hudson River.
The Tamaroa is berthed on the north side of Pier 40. If you've read or seen The Perfect Storm, you'll recognize this decommissioned US Coast Guard vessel as the heroine of the story.
The Tamaroa at Pier 40 in May of 2000.
Pier 54 (at 13th Street) is a flat open pier that provides public access. It is distinguished by a steel arch — the remains of a once-grand building built for ocean liner passengers.
Historical Note: Famous Tragedy: Look closely at the entrance arch at Pier 54, and you'll see that it was once a Cunard-White Star pier. It was the departure point for the Lusitania's first voyage. It's also where the Titanic's survivors returned onboard the Carpathia.
Piers 60 and 61 and their head houses are operated by Chelsea Piers Management (www.chelseapiers.com) under a long-term lease as a sports and recreation complex, featuring a golf driving range, a marina, two ice skating rinks, a bowling alley, a track and gymnastics center, commercial excursion boating, television and film studios and restaurants. A public pedestrian walkway hugs the perimeter of each pier.
Historical Note: Piersheds at Piers 60 and 61. These two piersheds are rare surviving examples of early 20th Century passenger ship terminals. Designed by Warren & Wetmore, they were completed in 1910. They remain intact, with the original materials and some original equipment, and have been restored by Chelsea Piers Management.
Two temporary in-line skating rinks operated by Chelsea Piers are located on Pier 62, and a landscaped public area occupies the western and southern sides of the pier.
Built in 1931, MV John J. Harvey, at 130 ft and 268 net tons, is the second most powerful fireboat ever in service on the East Coast of the United States. She has five 600 HP diesel engines, and has capacity to pump 16,000 gallons of water a minute. Her pumps are powerful -- enough so that when she and the George Washington Bridge were both brand new, she shot water over the bridge's roadway. She was retired by the New York City Fire Department in 1994 and bought at auction by her current owners in 1999. She was placed on The National Register of Historic Places in June 2000.
The John J. Harvey fireboat at Pier 63 Maritime.
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